Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)

There was another fatal stabbing in Dublin city centre this weekend. Clearly, Dublin is not safe for anybody using the city centre. There is a real sense of menace. It is no surprise to residents living in the inner city, for example, on Pearse Street and Kevin Street, that there was a fatal stabbing. Right across the inner city, it is no surprise because on a daily basis, residents and communities there have to put up with knife crime and serious antisocial behaviour. For example, last year on City Quay, which is not too far from here, there were running battles almost nightly with young people using knives, meat cleavers and slash hooks. It is very serious. The gardaí there and Superintendent McKenna are excellent. The community gardaí are also excellent. However, they do not have the resources they need. There needs to be a significant increase in gardaí on the streets. The gardaí are excellent but there just is not enough of them. There needs to be more gardaí so they can react more quickly and address the issue.

Equally, we will not be able to police our way out of this issue. There has to be an investment in resources in the inner city. Talk about Youth is a youth club that does not have resources to work with children under ten years of age. That is the age they need to engage with local services. There also needs to be an increase in multiservice sports facilities and drug rehabilitation services - they need to be invested in.

Unless the Government stops neglecting the inner city and starts investing in communities in the inner city, residents there will have to pick up the tab. The reality is that the inner city is not just a shopping destination and a restaurant destination; it is a home for thousands of families, and they have been neglected and forgotten.